2008_12_01_posts : Classy Mommy Blog

Are you going to BlissDom09?

If you're on the fence about getting your bliss on at BlissDom '09 now is the time to sign up for this sure to be fabulous and "blissful" conference. Registration is only $100 until Dec. 31, 2008.

Nashville is a rockin' city and an amazing group of women are signed up already as attendees for this event happening in just over a month on Feb 6th - 7th. A few of my local girlfriends and "famous" gals in the bloggy world - Musings of a Housewife and Genesis Moments are already signed up!

And, I'll actually be a speaker at Bliss Dom this year - very excited and can hardly believe it. My sessions will focus on Marketing Yourself and Your Blog and Affiliate Marketing. Many of my fellow "11Moms" are also going to be on varied panels. Mrs.Fussypants has quite a line up of sessions that look to be both entertaining and educational.

Smucker's Hot Ice, Cool Sounds Giveaway

Thanks to Smucker's for hosting this Holiday giveaway to promote one of the many ice skating events they support. On Christmas Day, the Hot Ice, Cool Sounds Figure Skating event will take place from 3-5 pm EST on NBC.

To promote this special event, Classy Mommy is giving away 5 Smucker's Hot Ice, Cool Sounds Gift Baskets to 5 lucky readers. Each winner will get: One Smucker’s gift basket with a variety of products including: One $25 gift certificate to the Smucker’s Online Store, One Hot Ice Cool Sounds autographed limited edition event program, One scarf with an embroidered Hot Ice Cool Sounds logo, and One autographed Peter Cetera CD.

To Enter: Leave a comment by 1/4/09 with the name of your favorite Smucker's product and why you like it below. Be sure to include your email address if it is not visible in your profile - otherwise we can't contact you if you win! 5 Winners will be selected.

Win a Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 Car Seat!

Yahoo! As we close out 2008's giveaways on Classy Mommy, I've saved one of the very best prizes for the end of the year. We're giving away a Graco Nautilus 3 in 1 Car Seat valued at $179.99.

The Graco Nautilus is a a true "value" product with the consumer winning on both price and name brand trusted quality. The Nautilus is one of Graco's more recent product introductions and I'm currently using it and loving it for 3 year old Mackenzie. Yet, now that Kyle is over 1 year old and 20 lbs, he too can use this very same seat! And right now the Nautilus is on sale here for $139.96 with free shipping!

I think the value with the Nautilus, besides being from a trusted brand like Graco, is truly the versatility of this car seat enabling Parents to use it for a long long long time. This seat is forward facing only and appropriate for children over 20 lbs and Age 1 - ultra sturdy and safe and reinforced with steel and a 5 point harness while it also converts to a backless booster for kids 40 lbs - 100 lbs!

So how can you win? Graco has been working hard with their Ready for the Road Ahead website to prep parents for traveling on the road with their families in tow.

Parents around the world hear the classic line, "Are we There Yet?" again and again. I'd love to hear your tips on how you manage to make car traveling easier on everyone. I know we have a tough time with long car trips as Mackenzie ( 3 yrs old) gets car sick! Uggh. So this eliminates a lot of the typical back seat entertainment like books or coloring for her. Instead, we can jam to music to help pass the time. But as a family we've been avoiding very long road trips or vacations for fear of the entire ordeal.

One Winner will be selected. To enter, please leave a comment below with your tip on how you manage to make car travel easier or how you prepare for a road trip with the kids. You can leave up to 3 comment entry tips per person. Contest expires January 4th, 2009. Please include your email address too if it is not easily visible in your profile info. Otherwise, we can't contact you if you win - this has been happening a lot recently!

I can't wait to see your tips!

HarperCollins Children's Books New Releases Giveaway!

Thanks to HarperCollins for sharing these super new release titles with our Classy Mommy Audience. And we can give a prize bundle of the 4 below new release books to 1 lucky reader! This new release bundle includes the following titles:

Fancy Nancy, " The Bonjour Butterfly" $17.99. This Fancy Nancy title is a personal favorite in our household!

If You Give a Cat a Cupcake valued at $16.99

Kenzie is crazy for the "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie..." series. I had no idea that a brand new title just came out. We will definitely be getting "If you Give a Cat a Cupcake" out of the library very soon - unless I make it to the bookstore before Christmas and can surprise her with it under the tree!

Do You Love Me? $14.99

How to Talk to Girls $.9.99

One Winner will be selected. To enter please leave a comment below by January 3rd, 2009. Please include your email address too if it is not easily visible in your profile info. Otherwise, we can't contact you if you win - this has been happening a lot recently!

Harper Collins Holiday Books Giveaway!

Tis the Season! And HarperCollins is helping us celebrate by sharing this festive giveaway full of holiday children's books. I know my children and I love reading holiday books - and we've got our own mini library full of seasonal books to put us in the spirit and learn about all the major holidays.

One lucky winner will win each of the following books:

A Very Marley Christmas valued at $17.99

The Lump of Coal valued at $12.99

Christmas Cookies valued at $12.99

Biscuit's Hanukkah valued at $4.99

One Winner will be selected. To enter please leave a comment below by January 3rd, 2009. Please include your email address too if it is not easily visible in your profile info. Otherwise, we can't contact you if you win - this has been happening a lot recently!

Amazing Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us Last Minute Sales

Check out these wild deals and savings from

Toys R Us. Week long deals are below! Huge savings along with bonus freebies. Seems like this year the deals just keep getting better the closer we get to Christmas!

Toys R Us “Savings of A Lifetime” valid on Sunday, Dec. 21 and Monday, Dec. 22:

50% OFF Air Hogs Havoc Target Set – Was $49.99; Now $24.99

50% OFF Mega Bloks Dynamics Advanced Gears – Was $49.99; Now $24.99

40% OFF Fisher-Price Little People Pink Vehicles – Was $19.99; Now $11.99

40% OFF Baby Alive Go Bye Bye doll – Was $24.99; Now $14.99

SAVE $25 on Zillions Touch Screen ATM – Was $69.99; Now $44.99

SAVE $25 on New Bright 1:10 Scale R/C Trucks – Was $59.99; Now $34.99

SAVE $20 on select Huffy Bikes – Prices Vary

SAVE $20 on the EyeClops Bionic Eye – Was $49.99; Now $29.99

SAVE $20 on Scandisk Sansa Fuze 2GM MP3 Player – Was $69.99; Now $49.99

SAVE $15 on Hello Kitty 20-inch Jumbo Plush – Was $34.99; Now $19.99

Week-Long Specials valid at Toys“R”Us stores, now through Wednesday, Dec 24:

SAVE $10 on Sesame Street Elmo Live! from Fisher-Price – Was $59.99; Now $49.99

SAVE $20 on EyeClops Night Vision Infrared Stealth Goggles from JAKKS Pacific – Was: $79.99; Now $59.99

FREE Laptop speakers with the purchase of ANY ASUS PC Laptop – $19.99 value

FREE Xbox 360 Live 12-Month Gold Card with the purchase of the Xbox 360 Pro Holiday Bundle – $99.98 value

50% OFF Hot Wheels Fireball Raceway – Was $39.99; Now $19.99

25% OFF Lionel Great Western Train Set with Lincoln Logs – Was, $239.99; Now $179.99

SAVE $50 on a Power Wheels Copper Jeep Hurricane ride-on – Was $449.99; Now $399.99

SAVE $30 on Hannah Montana Malibu Beach House – Was $169.99; Now $139.99

SAVE $20 on a Barbie 3-story Dream House Playset – Was 119.99; Now $99.99

SAVE $15 on High School Musical 3 17” Dolls – Was $34.99 each; Now $19.99 each

SAVE $10 on Vtech V.Smile V-Motion TV Learning System – Was $59.99; Now $49.99

To Arrive by Christmas Eve” Toys R Us offers the following Shipping Options:

On Saturday, December 20, Toys R Us will offer a 40% discount on 2-day orders on thousands of select items·

Customers visiting Toys R Us can ensure their holiday gifts arrive by Christmas Eve when they place their orders on Monday, December 22 before 12 noon when they select two-day shipping·

Customers visiting Toys R Us can also ensure their holiday gifts arrive by Christmas Eve when they place their orders on Tuesday, December 23 before 12 noon, when they select one-day shipping

PB Teen Free Shipping and $100 Gift Card Giveaway

PB Teen is having some huge sales and some select items available for free shipping - like these Lollipop Wall decals I adore. To celebrate this sale, Classy Mommy is teaming up with PB Teen to offer 1 lucky reader a $100 gift card to PB Teen.

3 yr. old Kenzie is more of a Pottery Barn Kids kind of girl at age 3, but there is no doubt she'd love everything at PB Teen. With her constant desire to apply lip gloss I'd say she is already 3 going on 13!

Thursday, December 18th through Monday, December 22nd PBteen will offer free shipping on an expanded assortment of in stock items only. Normal surcharges will apply. Visit http://www.pbteen.com/ for details.

To enter please leave a comment below by December 31st, 2008. 1 winner will receive a $100 gift card to PB Teen. Please include your email address too if it is not easily visible in your profile info. Otherwise, we can't contact you if you win - this has been happening a lot recently!

Pottery Barn Kids $50 Gift Card Giveaway & Super Sale - Spend $100 and earn a $20 PBK Coupon

If you love Pottery Barn Kids, this is your weekend to splurge in store. From December 19th to 21st, for every $100 youspend on in-store merchandise, you will be entitled to acoupon for $20 that is valid for a future purchase at any Pottery Barn Kids store between December 26, 2008and January 31, 2009. Certain restrictions apply.* Who isn't crazy for Pottery Barn Kids?

Kenzie's bedding from her original nursery was from Pottery Barn Kids and now that she is 3 years old I'm beyond impressed with their classy and functional toy collections.

And to share the Pottery Barn Kids love with my readers, Classy Mommy is giving away 2 gift cards to Pottery Barn Kids valued at $50 each for 2 lucky readers.

To enter please leave a comment below by December 31st, 2008. Please include your email address too if it is not easily visible in your profile info. Otherwise, we can't contact you if you win - this has been happening a lot recently!

Elmo Loves You! DVD Giveaway

My 12 month old Kyle is totally crazy for Elmo so I'm so excited for the January 6th release of the Elmo Loves You! dvd by Genius Products and Sesame Workshop. We haven't yet previewed this title but will definitely be watching it come January when it is available.

And we're giving away 5 copies to a handful of lucky readers. This is will a great Valentine's Day gift too! Value estimated at $14.

Elmo has a v. strong track record for captivating my toddlers and continues to captivate my 3 year old when he is on the silver screen! The official press release says that, Elmo Loves You! is a joyful adventure that imparts valuable life lessons about love, emotion and friendship in a memorable way that resonates with preschoolers and young children. Boasting special performances by some of music's greatest talents, Elmo Loves You! features Grammy® Award winners Trisha Yearwood, John Legend and R.E.M., along with a toddler-ific new tune, "Elmo Loves You." Children will learn how to sign the words "I Love You" from a delightful new music video.

To enter please leave a comment below by December 31st, 2008. Please include your email address too if it is not easily visible in your profile info. Otherwise, we can't contact you if you win - this has been happening a lot recently!

Win the Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake dvd!

Kenzie, 3, is now taking pre-school ballet so the Prima Princessa Presents Swan Lake dvd we reviewed last year takes on a whole new meaning now that my little doll can really appreciate it! And we're giving away 5 copies!

If your little girl aspires to be a ballerina and yearns to be a princess, she'll dig this DVD created entirely by 2 Moms from New Jersey. Prima Princessa features segments of the Paris Opera Ballet performing Swan Lake as narrated by a cute little cartoon Ballerina. The DVD flips between scenes of the live ballet performance and real little girls dancing around in tutus along with some coaching from the cartoon princess. Before you know it, your 3 year old will be doing pirouettes and arabesques in your living room! I'm not kidding!

To enter, please leave a comment by 11:59 PM on 12/18/08. Please include your email address if not visible in your profile. 5 Winners. Value approx $18.

Katja Presnal lands Suri Cruise Ladybug shoes on Oprah!

Mompreneur, social media guru, and my v. good friend from Walmarts Eleven Moms group Katja Presnal made PR magic happen when the pair of Monkeytoes Ladybug shoes she gifted to Suri Cruise from her Skimbaco online store landed on Oprah.

Catch the first 10 minutes of Oprah tomorrow, as the Tom Cruise Telluride interview from last May will air again and you can see this fantastic PR win for Mompreneurs and bloggers alike. It was fascinating to watch Oprah's "golden" touch impact Moms in the blogosphere when she grabbed these ultra cute Ladybug shoes in Tom's mudroom - and sales for Mompreneurs and traffic for bloggers who mentioned the Ladybug shoes went through the roof!

And besides Suri Cruise's stamp of approval on the Ladybug pair of Monkey-Toes shoes, I've got to tell you that Classy Mommy reviewed the Piggy Toes pair when Kenzie was 18 months old and we even have a video review of Kenzie cruising around in them. They are a hit!

Katja shared a quick Q&A with us for those of you hoping to learn more about her brilliant PR touch. Let me tell you - this Mama inspires me. Cause at the end of the day, Katja says she is "a mompreneur, counting pennies that I can get food on the table for my three kids. And I made this all happen - the store, the promotion, the Suri Cruise's shoes on Oprah. I am not special, I am not PR genius, I am a mom who works helluva long days and helps others as she goes. If I could do this - so can you and other mompreneurs and bloggers."

So how did you get to send Tom, Katie, and Suri the gift basket?
They say we have a six degree separation to everyone, but I am luckyenough to have a two degree separation to Tom Cruise, we have a mutualfriend. My friend wanted to gift Tom Cruise and his family during theHolidays and I helped him to put together a gift basket of beautifulproducts from my store. DeAnna Cochran made some custom jewelry for TomCruise's entire family and I also included some fun stuff likepersonalized underwear for Tom and Katie from Blume Girl. One of the products in the basket was the cutest little pair of ladybug shoes, which are the Little Ladies Mary Janes by Monkey-Toes.

What's it like having one of your products being shown on Oprah?
I don't know if it even has really even hit me how big thing it is. Itstill feels a little surreal. I think I was more psyched about thegift basket opportunity itself, it was very exciting to choose the gift basket for Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, pack it up nicely, and make it a special Holiday gift for their family. It took me hours to pack the gift, I wanted it to be perfect! Also it was exciting that we lived close to Telluride so I was able to deliver the gift instead of just mailing it. I just sold the shoes in my store, so in that sense it wasn't my own product, the shoes are from a company called Monkey-Toes.

If you could have another item featured on the Oprah show what would it be and why?
I would say it's one of my exclusive necklaces by DeAnna Cochran, becausepart of the proceeds go for charities and I am passionate abouthelping people. Oprah actually inspired me to ask DeAnna to design aLadybug necklace after the Tom Cruise interview. I felt really blessedabout the feature and since the product was ladybug shoes, andladybugs are believed to bring luck in many cultures, I wanted to paymy ladybug luck forward. I suddenly was receiving a lot of press andpeople were noticing me and I asked myself what would Oprah do - andshe would pay it forward. So that's what I wanted to do too. I startedLadybug Landings - offering PR help for other mompreneurs andbloggers, and it has kept me busy ever since. The proceeds of myLadybug Necklace and ladybug gear make it possible that I'm able to help others also for free. I offer PR and socialmedia consulting and the first hour is always free.

What has being on the Oprah Show done for your site Traffic?
After the show aired, the traffic tripled, and so did the sales for awhile. But at the same time while this was a huge success to my store,I realized that my real passion was not being a retailer, but doingthe consulting and helping other mompreneurs, indie designers andbloggers. I haven't actually even officially launched my site LadybugLandings yet, I have been so busy helping people and doing consultingand blogging. I am actually planning on closing my store soon, due thefact that I want to focus on helping others to reach their goals. Iguess you could truly call that as the Oprah's touch - she inspired meto pay it forward even more than I had before.

Power Rangers Jungle Fury DVD Giveaway

Thanks to Walt Disney Home Entertainment for sponsoring this power-packed Power Rangers giveaway. On December 16th, the Power Rangers Jungle Fury: Into the Jungle (Vol.1) and Way of the Master (Vol. 2) both hit the street on dvd. And we're giving away 3 bundled prizes of both dvd volumes at Classy Mommy.

Get ready for a seriously wild ride as the fury of an ancient evil is unleashed, calling for three new teenage heroes to rise up and defend the world in Power Rangers Jungle Fury: Into the Jungle (Vol. 1). The valiant skills of the Order Of the Claw have kept a 10,000-year-old spirit completely caged -- until now. Dai Shi has escaped and three new warriors must find and destroy him. Adventure runs wild in Power Rangers Jungle Fury: Way of the Master (Vol. 2)as the heroes team up against an unimaginable family of foes! Beastly threats are all too real as the Power Rangers are joined and trained in the ways of the master by members of the Kung Fu clan. But can they learn new weapons, work closely as a team, and harness their jungle pride in time to defeat the evil Dai Shi forces?

To enter leave a comment below. Estimated value of this Power Ranger DVD prize package $39.98. Contest expires Sunday December 14th, 2008 so be sure to enter with your comments before 11:59 PM on 12/14/08. Include your email address if your contact info is not visible on your profile.

Tide To Go Stocking Stuffer Giveaway & Coupon

Thanks to Tide to Go, we've got 3 prize packs of Tide to Go and other goodies in a ready stuffed stocking for 3 lucky winners! And if any of you Santas out there ever need to shop for your own stocking stuffers....(yeah I've had to do this!) the Tide to Go Mini pen is a fab idea since you can keep this pen in your purse so you are ready to save the moment instantly when stains strike!

And, all you couponistas, sign up for a $1 Tide to Go coupon here.

This stocking prize package includes:

Meyer’s peppermint candle: SRP $9.99

Burt’s Beeswax Lip Stash, a three-pack of their famous lip balm: SRP $9.99

This Russell Stover giftbox is a great treat to pull out of your stocking: SRP $1.19

Tide to Go Mini pens: SRP $2.99 for one pen and $5.49 for a two-pack.

Total estimated value including the stocking is $38. To enter leave a comment below. Contest expires Sunday December 14th, 2008 so be sure to enter with your comments before 11:59 PM on 12/14/08. Include your email address if your contact info is not visible on your profile.

Wordless Wednesday: My Little Climber

Kenzie loves her Delta Disney Princess arts and crafts desk - and Kyle now has a brand new climbing apparatus!

Redbox Free Movie Rentals with Coupon Code!

The Elevenmoms teamed up with Redbox to offer free movie rentals at Walmart Redbox locations. Yahoo! Just in time for Christmas, Redbox is giving free movie rentals at Walmart Redbox locations every Sunday during for the next 5 weeks for a free movie rental from 12/7/08 - 1/4/09.

(Sneaky tip: if you want to rent more than one movie for free, bring more than one debit or credit card and you can use the code more than once when you use multiple credit/debit cards)

All of the codes for the appropriate Sunday's are listed below.

Week 1 (Sunday 12/7) - 11moms4uS (good for this day only)

Week 2 (Sunday 12/14) - 11moms4uA (good for that day only)

Week 3 (Sunday 12/21) - 11moms4uN (good for that day only)

Week 4 (Sunday 12/28) - 11moms4uT (good for that day only)

Week 5 (Sunday 1/4/09) - 11moms4uA (good for that day only)
Go to redbox.com to find a redbox location at a Walmart near you.

**This promo coupon code is valid at redbox locations in Walmart stores only and cannot be redeemed online. Promo codes are valid for the first night of rental only. Your credit or debit card is necessary to redeem your promocode, and will be charged $1 plus tax, if applicable, for everysubsequent night after the free rental period. Promo code is nottransferable, not for resale, and cannot be combined with otheroffers. Limit 1 promo code per transaction.

Red Envelope Coupon Codes - Save 10% and Free Shipping

Found these fabulous coupon codes from Red Envelope. Click here to save an Extra 10% with code REDTKN. Also, get Free Shipping on all purchases over $75.

I love the luxurious, classy, and modern gift ideas at Red Envelope - when I'm stuck trying to find just the right gift for someone very special for any holiday, birthday, anniversary, or special occassion, I always find the most original and unusual finds in their catalog.

Win a free prize from Keen!

KEEN is celebrating the holidays and the launch of their new website. One lucky winner from my wonderful Classy Mommy readership will win an item from http://www.keenfootwear.com/. That’s right a gift for yourself or special somebody. And we've even got a special coupon code for all our lucky readers. For those of you hoping to add KEEN to your holidays enjoy free shipping through December 12th by using code CLASSYMOMMY at checkout.

What floats your boat? Will you choose cozy leather boots, all-weather boots for the extreme cold, something from the cool Kid’s line, a new laptop/day bag or something for hubby? Mama always needs some new shoes.

“At KEEN, we're an active outdoor company made up of people just like you... creating possibilities, playing outside, caring for the world we live in.Through our leadership and commitment to social and environmental causes, we hope to encourage and empower others to do the same.Create. Play. Care. It's a way of life. We call it HybridLife.”

Every product KEEN creates is comfortable, stylish, and on the cutting edge. They're fresh and urban, and just recently they've made it possible to shop direct from their site, making all your favorite products available in one convenient location. KEEN always gives back and you can read more about it here.

What KEEN product will you choose if you win? Enter to win by leaving a comment below with your name, email address, and which Keen product you'd like choose if you win the giveaway. So browse the Keen website and let us know what you want to win! Contest expires on Thursday 12/11/08 at 11: 59 PM EST.

For those of you hoping to add KEEN to your holiday shopping, enjoy free shipping through December 12th by using code CLASSYMOMMY at checkout.

Wordless Wednesday: One Year Later

Happy 1st Birthday Kyle! I can't believe you were born 1 year ago today. The days are long but the years are short. Thanks for making this year so special for the entire family. Love, Mommy

Mommy Snacks Wins the Nintendo Wii Popularity Contest

Congrats to Andrea Deckard from Mommy Snacks who won Classy Mommy's 1st ever Nintento Wii Giveaway Popularity Contest.

This giveaway was ultra exciting with over 1000 entrants and tons of chatter on message boards, Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. A handful of entrants scored over 500 votes but in the end Andrea won the Nintendo Wii by drumming up over 2,000 votes. Totally incredible! And it was a very tight race up until the end as Chelsie Butts put up a great challenge. She too received over 2,000 votes! We feel really bad letting Chelsie walk away empty handed so...we've decided to give her a Nintendo DS for her valiant effort.

You can view the final standings here. Thanks to everyone for engaging and participating in this fantastic giveaway event. It truly was exciting to watch and I can't wait to bring Classy Mommy reader's another unique and challenging giveaway.